HP Smart for Windows is a straightforward, free app that consolidates basic printer setup, printing, scanning and ink/toner management for HP customers — but the story is more nuanced than the quick guides suggest: HP is transitioning to a new unified "HP app" for broader device support, the...
Windows 11 Insiders are now seeing a new, unexpected entry in the parade of Copilot entry points: a floating “Share with Copilot” button that appears when you hover over an open app on the taskbar and use the window preview. The button launches Copilot Vision against the contents of that window...
Windows 10 will stop receiving free security fixes on October 14, 2025 — and if your PC can’t take the free Windows 11 upgrade, you have five realistic paths forward: enroll in Extended Security Updates (ESU), buy or rent a new Windows 11 PC (including cloud PCs), perform an unsupported upgrade...
22h2
active directory
admin rights
ai-capable-hardware
alternative operating systems
avd
azure
azure virtual desktop
backmarket
backup
backup and migration
backup strategy
budgeting
business continuity
business it
canalys
certifiedmodels
channel-management
chromebook
chromebooks
chromeos
chromeos flex
chromeos-flex
chromeosflex
cloud desktops
cloud migration
cloud pc
cloud pc migration
cloud pcs
cloud sync
commercial-refresh
compliance
compliance risk
consumer advocacy
consumer esu
consumer esu program
consumer it
consumer protection
consumer reports
consumer tech
consumer-demand
copilot plus
copilot plus hardware
cost affordability
cpu upgrade
cpus
cybersecurity
cybersecurity risk
data backup
data backup best practices
data protection
data security
data-backup
databackup
ddr ram
deployment roadmap
device eligibility
device migration planning
device upgrade
digital equity
digital inclusion
digital privacy
digital sustainability
diy pcs
do nothing
e waste
e waste environmental impact
e waste policy
e-waste
edge webview2
electronic waste
end of life
end of life policy
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end-of-support
endofsupport
endpoint manager
endpoint security
enrollment
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enterprise esu
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enterprise-it
environmental impact
environmental impact e waste
esearch
esu
esu enrollment
esu pricing enrollment
esu program
esu security updates
esu-enrollment
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esu-windows-10
ewaste
extended security updates
extended security updates esu
extended-security-updates
fedora
firmware-updates
free enrollment
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gpus
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hardware refresh planning
hardware replacement
hardware requirements
hardware upgrade
hardware upgrade planning
hardware-requirements
hardwarelifecycle
hipaa
idaho cybersecurity risk
intune
inventory risk
inventory-management
it admin
it governance
it leadership
it migration
it planning
it risk management
it security
it strategy
itadmin
jon peddie research
jpr
kaspersky telemetry
kb5063709
legacy devices
licensing cost
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lifecycle policy
linux
linux desktop
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ltsc
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msp
october 2025
oem partners
oems
onedrive
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patching
pc components
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pc gaming hardware
pc hardware
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small business
small organizations
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tpm 2.0 secure boot
tpm-2.0
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trade-in
ubuntu
uefi secure boot
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windows10
windows11
windowsapps
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zero trust
Windows 11’s Widgets board is an underused but powerful way to surface the information you need without opening full apps — and adding, customizing, or removing widgets is straightforward once you know where to look and what to expect. This guide distills the practical steps for adding and...
Microsoft PC Manager quietly doing the heavy lifting on Windows machines deserves a closer look: it bundles cleanup, process control, storage analysis, and protection tools into a single, lean interface that many users find far more approachable than hunting through Settings and Task Manager...
backup safety
deep cleanup
defender integration
desktop optimization
enterprise considerations
home users
microsoft pc manager
microsoftstore
one-click boost
privacy and security
region rollout
startup management
storage management
storage sense
system cleanup
system health check
toolbox utilities
windows maintenance
Microsoft has quietly reworked the Xbox app on Windows 11 into a genuine one‑stop hub for PC gaming, and the implications reach well beyond a refreshed launcher: the app now aggregates installed titles from multiple storefronts, lets you launch non‑Microsoft games without opening third‑party...
achievements
age gating
aggregated gaming library
aggregated library
ai assistant
anti cheat
anti-cheat
arm prism
battery life
battle.net
beta rollout
cloud continuity
cloud gaming
cloud play
competitive play
controller first
controller friendly
controller ux
cross device play
cross-device play
cross-device sync
cross-store
cross-store gaming
cross-store launcher
drm
drm and anti-cheat
epic games
epic games store
galaxy book ultra
game bar
game pass
game performance
gaming copilot
gaming ux
gog
gog galaxy
handheld gaming
in-game overlay
insider program
insiders
launcher fragmentation
launcher handoffs
launcher orchestration
metadata gaps
microsoftstore
mini mode
mobile app
multi storefronts
multi-store
multi-store gaming
multi-store launchers
my apps
my library
on-screen analysis
one-stop launcher
pc gaming
pc gaming hub
performance
performance impact
personalization
play history
privacy
privacy controls
privacy settings
privacy telemetry
region rollout
regional rollout
resume and jump
rog xbox ally
samsung
screenshot analysis
screenshots
second screen
steam
ubisoft connect
voice mode
windows 11
windows 11 gaming
windows game bar
windows gaming
xbox
xbox insider
xbox pc app
Microsoft’s attempt to build a safe, centralized app ecosystem for Windows began as an inspired idea and then spent more than a decade bouncing between half-measures, bad product bets, and shifting incentives — but over the last two years Microsoft has quietly rebuilt the plumbing and the...
app marketplace
centralized updates
commerce model
configmgr
developer economics
enterprise it
intune
microsoftstore
msix
open app store principles
pwa
security updates
software distribution
update orchestration
uwp
win32
windows
windows 11
winget
How to associate (and manage) devices for the Movies & TV (Films & TV) app on Windows
A practical, forum-ready guide for WindowsForum.com — what the official docs say, what changed recently, and step‑by‑step workflows and troubleshooting to keep your movie library working across your PCs and...
account management
appx
device association
dism
download devices
films & tv
five device limit
microsoft account
microsoftstore
movies & tv
movies anywhere
offline viewing
powershell
sfc
uwp
windows
windows troubleshooting
windowsapps
xbox
zunevideo
Microsoft’s official guidance for the Movies & TV app clarifies how device association works, how to view the devices tied to your account, and how to remove a device when you reach capacity — but it also reveals practical limits and policy quirks that every Windows user who buys or downloads...
account management
appx
cross service sync
device association
digital rights
dism
download devices
download limit
drm
films & tv
five device limit
five devices
license management
microsoft account
microsoftstoremicrosoft support
movies & tv
movies and tv
movies and tv app
movies anywhere
offline downloads
offline viewing
powershell
removal cadence
sfc
store closure
troubleshooting
uwp
windows
windows troubleshooting
windowsapps
xbox
zunevideo
Microsoft’s Xbox app on Windows 11 has quietly evolved from a Game Pass storefront into a genuine, controller-friendly gaming hub capable of listing and launching installed titles from Steam, Epic, GOG, Battle.net and more — and the company is now rolling key pieces of that work out to wider...
aggregated gaming library
aggregated library
anti cheat
anti-cheat
battle.net
cloud continuity
cloud gaming
cloud play history
cloud streaming
console-like ux
controller friendly
controller ux
cross-device gaming
cross-device play
cross-device play history
drm
drm anti-cheat
epic games
epic games store
game launcher
game pass
game pass pc
gog
gog galaxy
handheld gaming
home ui
insider program
insiders
insiders preview
interoperability
jump back in
launcher
launcher consolidation
launcher fragmentation
microsoftstore
multi-store launchers
my apps
my library
pc gaming
pc gaming preview
play history
playnite
privacy
steam
storefront aggregation
storefront integration
telemetry privacy
third-party stores
windows 11
windows 11 gaming
windows gaming
windows handhelds
xbox pc app
Microsoft’s app-store experiment started with a clear promise — a single, safe place to find and automatically update Windows software — but for more than a decade the reality was a sequence of missteps, confusing platform shifts, and fragmented developer incentives that left most PC users...
app curation
app packaging
appx
desktop bridge
developer economics
electron
enterprise it
intune
microsoftstore
msix
pwa
sccm
software distribution
third party stores
update orchestration
uwp
win32
windows 11
windows update
winget
Microsoft will begin automatically installing the standalone Microsoft 365 Copilot app onto many Windows devices this fall, pushing a dedicated Copilot entry into the Start menu on eligible machines unless administrators explicitly opt out — a move Microsoft describes as a background...
admin center settings
applocker
copilot
copilot app
deployment
device configuration
eea
eea exclusion
fall 2025 rollout
mdm
mdm policies
microsoft 365 copilot
microsoftstore
modern app settings
opt out
privacy
start menu entry
telemetry
windows
windows copilot
Microsoft’s push to make Xbox the gaming platform that follows players across consoles, PCs, and handhelds is now measurable—and exposed by a practical problem: some of the biggest publishers still aren’t playing ball with Xbox Play Anywhere, and that gap risks turning Microsoft’s cross-device...
anti-cheat
cross buy
cross save
cross-platform
dev center
developer economics
game pass
handheld gaming
id@xbox
indie developers
microsoftstore
multi-device gaming
pc storefronts
publisher adoption
rog xbox ally
steam deck
windows handhelds
xbox ally
xbox pc app
xbox play anywhere
Microsoft’s latest Microsoft Store update for Windows Insiders quietly widens the gateway between the Store, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and publishers’ app ecosystems—adding Microsoft 365 Copilot Agents to the Store’s AI Hub and making it easier to launch and manage apps that are “provided and...
ai hub
app launch
app updates
copilot agents
data privacy
enterprise it
governance
insider preview
microsoft 365 copilot
microsoftstore
publisher apps
publisher onboarding
telemetry
win32
windows 11
windows store
Microsoft is quietly reshaping how Windows users discover, launch, and update applications by rolling out a Microsoft Store redesign that surfaces downloads and makes it easier to launch apps you already have on your PC—whether they were installed from the Store or from a developer’s site. Early...
app management
automation alternatives
cross-device sync
desktop apps
developer implications
digital storefront
downloads pane
enterprise it
external publisher
insider canary dev
library
microsoftstoremicrosoftstore redesign
software distribution
software updates
store web installer
updates
user experience
win32 apps
windows
Microsoft's decision to remove the Microsoft Store registration fee for individual developers is a deliberate, high-impact policy shift that lowers the financial barrier to publishing on Windows, replaces credit-card gating with identity verification, and refocuses the Store as an open...
app marketplace
app signing
data privacy
external billing
flighted rollout
government id
id verification
indie developers
microsoft commerce
microsoftstore
moderation costs
msix packaging
onboarding
partner center
platform openness
selfie verification
store discoverability
uwp
windows store
Microsoft's decision to remove the registration fee for individual developers publishing to the Microsoft Store is more than a pricing change — it's a clear signal that the company intends to make the Store a lower-friction, broader distribution channel for independent Windows software creators...
app publishing
app-publishing
commerce
developer-tools
discoverability
electron
electron apps
enterprise distribution
external billing
external-billing
government id
id-verification
identity verification
indie developers
individual developers
intune integration
microsoftstoremicrosoft-store
moderation
msix
msix packaging
non microsoft billing
onboarding
onboarding flow
partner center
platform-economics
privacy
pwa
pwas
store discoverability
uwp
win32
win32 apps
windows
windows apps
zero-fee
Microsoft has given Windows 10 users a narrow, conditional lifeline: if you plan to keep a Windows 10 PC beyond the platform’s formal end-of-support date, you must complete a specific enrollment flow — or enable a OneDrive backup path — before the October 14, 2025 cutoff to receive one...
22h2
data backup
disk imaging
end of support
enrollment
esu
extended security updates
kb5063709
microsoft account
microsoftstore
migration to windows 11
october 2025
one drive backup
rewards points
security updates
windows 10
windows update
Microsoft has set the long-awaited public rollout of Windows 11 in motion: the OS began its phased public release on October 5, 2021, as a free upgrade for eligible Windows 10 PCs and as the factory-installed operating system on new devices shipping with Windows 11.
Background
Microsoft framed...
amazon appstore
android apps windows
app ecosystem
auto hdr
directstorage
eligibility check
enterprise migration
extended security updates
hardware requirements
microsoftstore
pc health check
secure boot
snap groups
snap layouts
tpm 2.0
widgets
windows 10 end of support
windows 11
windows rollout
windows subsystem for android
Windows 11 ships with a clear design philosophy: modern, polished, and opinionated. For many users that means a pleasant daily experience out of the box — but it also means defaults that favor discoverability and platform features over minimalism and control. Pocket-lint recently distilled five...